Challenging the Unknown (My Friend's SMOSHY Dream)
by NathalieFerrante
Summary: Based on real life Youtube stars Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox from Smosh comes a fictitious story full of criticism, new cultural lifestyles and totally cliché drama. So if you're interested in tired comedians, narcissistic idiots, dramatic best friends, and pessimistic overbearing teens, among others (I won't explain, you'll just have to see for yourself) this is the tale for you
1. Just some guys

"Ugh," I groaned in frustration. Where could she be? I'd been waiting for Vanessa for a full hour and she still hadn't shown up. I looked down at my watch for the umpteenth time when I finally heard a quick tapping of high heels on the city's pavement.

"I'm here, I'm here," gasped Vanessa when she had come to a stop in front of me. One look at her was enough to make me _almost_ want to gag. She was solely wearing merchandise from 'Smosh'. AGAIN.

"What the heck are you wearing, Vanessa? And why are you so late?" I asked through gritted teeth. I seriously hoped she would try a new excuse rather than her usual whiny 'I took the bus...and you know how terribly slow that is.' For once, though, she surprisingly changed her tune.

"Actually, the answer to both of your questions is one and the same, Tilly," she said with a flourish of her hand and a smirk on her face. I rolled my eyes and didn't bother to point out that I loathe the nickname she'd given me. It was the reason why she'd given it to me in the first place. "I was waiting for the mail to arrive so that I could wear this fabulous shirt now. Do you like it?"

I imagined slamming my forehead against the wall - hard - as I forced myself to peel my gaze away from Vanessa's pleading grey-green eyes and carefully kept my face from showing any form of disgust when I took a look at the shirt. It was very difficult to keep my surprise hidden, though, when I saw that the off-shoulder black hoodie was not only tasteful, but also, kind of, cool.

"It's not too horrible," I admitted reluctantly when Vanessa just kept waiting for my reply.

"Oh, Tilly," she squealed as I thought, _Again with the Tilly_ , "that means a lot from you! Now let's get going shall we? My mum expects me to be back with you be noon."

"Vanessa, it's past eleven thirty," I said with a light frown. "We'll never get there in time."

"Then we'll just have to make a run for it," Vanessa said with a smile as she dragged me towards the bus terminus.

"Seriously, Tilly, I don't get why you hate them so much. It's not as if they did anything wrong to you."

Here we go again. Barely five minutes had passed since we'd arrived at Vanessa's house for our sleepover before she started talking about 'Smosh'. I replied, with a wide smile, "I don't hate them. I just greatly dislike them and wish they would just curl up and die. Is that so wrong?"

"Lose that smirk, Nathalie. And I hope you're only joking because otherwise, you seriously need help," said Vanessa in a serious tone. She glared fiercely at me causing me to explode in laughter.

"Don't worry," I managed to say. "I don't really want to kill your future husbands. However my dislike for them and rheir channel is 100% real."

"But _why_ don't you like them? It's not as if you've ever seen a video of theirs."

"And you claim that you know me! Don't you remember that I have a habit of disliking people who waste their own lives and others'? Especially when it's to nothing better than to play video games all day, and sell their crappy merchandise to weird teenage fangirls."

"It's not crappy!" protested Vanessa, wisely staying clear of my comment about weird fangirls. "And it's not solely video games. Not to mention that making videos to make people feel better through laughter does not qualify as "wasting their lives"."

"Whatever," I said, obviously contradicting what she'd just said in my thoughts.

"If you don't believe me, I'll show you," she declared enthusiastically.

"Uhh...no way, Vanessa," I denied hurriedly. I used the first excuse that came to my head, horrible as it was, "I think that I heard your mum calling us for tea."

Vanessa and I moved to the door leading from her room to the corridor. She passed by me and she said softly, "Chicken."


	2. Behind the Scenes

"If you enjoyed this video, like. And comment what you want Ian to dress up as next."

"OK, guys. That's a wrap."

Anthony and Ian had just ended filming another of their comical videos. Anthony rolled his eyes when he recalled this particular segment's topic: the emoji of Molester Moon. His lack of enthusiasm wasn't because he didn't like his job, though. He just thought that there should be more to the videos than cuss words and sexist guys; it was like they were increasingly becoming sell-outs, not showing who they really are any more.

Ian had his back on the subject, but it was obvious that the guy upstairs, meaning the majority of their audience, would not be that happy if they changed their style. There had been enough hate when he'd changed his emo haircut, let alone should they decide to change the channel's entire style.

"I'm so glad that's over," breathed out Ian, his voice losing the stuffy-nose undertone which he'd been using to try to lighten his mood whilst shooting.

Anthony agreed with a small nod as he sank his head into the sofa's cushioned headrest in relief. His usually cheerful face was now a soft grimace with his dark eyebrows nearly crossing over each other. He could feel a sharp headache coming on and he knew it wasn't from the cold air.

"Aw come on, don't go mute on me, Anthony," pretend-whined Ian, trying to bring his best friend's attitude back to normal.

"I'm not playing mute," groaned Anthony. "I'm just avoiding having to nurse a massive migraine."

Ian decided to keep pestering him,"Today wasn't THAT bad. At least it wasn't another fan-fiction reading. Those are creepy."

"Yeah, you're right," replied Anthony, a smile creeping back to his lips. He shuddered and with a bigger grin he continued, "I have yet to come across a fanfic based on us with absolutely no erotic references."

"You know what I wonder?" asked Ian in a joking confidential whisper.

"No," laughed Anthony, "but I have a feeling that you're going to tell me."

"What makes you say that!" exclaimed Ian, a sincere look on his slightly round face.

"I don't know, maybe it's these past eighteen years that I've known you which are giving me a hint," sarcastically replied Anthony. "Or maybe it's just my migraine talking. Either way, spill."

"All right, you win." Ian paused for a moment looking around him and checking if there was anyone watching them or listening in on their conversation. Fortunately for both the guys, they finally realised that they were completely alone and their film crew had all left and packed up the cameras and microphones for the day, as efficiently as ever. Ian continued in a serious tone, "I keep wondering why people truly like our videos."

Anthony lost his smile again causing Ian to continue talking.

"Well, you know," said Ian vaguely, waving a hand and indicating the room. "All this acting we have to go through may be amusing for a short while but I miss those times where we could just be ourselves."

Anthony sighed. "But what can we do, Ian? It's not as if we can risk the chance of losing our followers. We'd have no money."

Ian sat silently for a while. He said slowly but steadily," I don't know yet. But between the two of us, I think that we can manage a solution for not losing our minds." He looked at Anthony as he quickly remembered, "By the way, you should sleep here tonight. It's a long drive to LA, and we need the time to come up with this life-saving plan."

"Sure," said Anthony, giving a slight nod. He stood up. "I'd better get an aspirin, then. Knowing our luck, this is going to be a long night."

"Good idea. You know where the medicine cupboard is," said Ian, already half lost in thought.

"Oh, and Ian..." Anthony grinned as three beeps sounded from Ian's phone. The latter picked up his phone from the coffee table, his mind still occupied by some musing or other. Ian looked at the screen just as Anthony left the room and yelled in surprise. Anthony had sent him three moon emojis, just like the ones from the video they had just finished shooting. It was a good thing that Anthony wasn't in the room when Ian heard his friend's laughter or else Anthony's head wouldn't have been the only thing in pain...


	3. Live in Malta: New Obsessions

Looking around, I quickly made sure that we hadn't forgotten anything; lights were on, the camera was fully charged and had a good two hours of film available. I turned and caught a glimpse of Marcia over my shoulder. I could see that she was finishing up Vanessa's hair and make-up yet she was still getting nowhere at trying to calm her down. A quick shiver ran down my spine; I would never have traded jobs with Marcia. Trying to calm Vanessa down, at any given time, is a terrible pain. Researchers have, in fact, proved that it is easier to hold your breath for five minutes in the freezing waters of the Antarctic than to prevent Vanessa from having a panic attack.

"Marcia," I called to my other best friend. She looked up with a look of utter relief, clearly visible to everyone but Vanessa, on her face. "It's time."

Marcia left Vanessa sitting alone slightly away from the camera's view and came by me.

"Ready?" she asked me, as was our tradition before every video. I gave a tight-lipped nod as I took long slow breaths and mentally prepared myself. I'm not exactly the kind of person you'd call 'camera-friendly'. Our ritual over, I went over to the camera and hit 'Record'.

"Hello, Youtube!" said Marcia cheerfully, her bright smile lighting up her chubby face. I walked from the camera and over to my friend.

"Hey guys," I smiled as well. I continued, "So after some thought during this past week, Marcia and I have decided on dedicating this segment of 'Live in Malta' to the growing trends teenage girls here are completely obsessing over. First up, is Smosh."

"In this case," continued Marcia, "we have decided to get one of our friends to talk on this topic since she is probably the biggest fan-girl on the island. Vanessa."

Marcia looked over at Vanessa and signalled her onto the set. Vanessa quickly obliged and she nervously walked towards us. I noted that Marcia had worked her usual magic and had managed to transform Vanessa's eighteen-year-old face to a twenty-five-year-old's. The fact that Vanessa was wearing a purple shirt, which hugged her curves perfectly, a pair of black skinny jeans and a pair of black stilettos may have helped. Just then, I felt slightly uncomfortable standing by my older friends. Whilst both Marcia and Vanessa were at the wonderful age of eighteen, I was stuck in the horrible years of fifteen. When people ask me how I got to know them, as they usually do, I must always answer with a shrug that I'd met them whilst we were all at secondary school.

"Hi," said Vanessa shakily. "I'm Vanessa, and I'm the special guest on this episode."

By that time, I'd gone over to the camera again and zoomed the image to film Vanessa alone as she started talking enthusiastically.

"During these past few weeks, everyone's been literally eating, dreaming and talking about Smosh. Needless to say," she grinned, "that I'm going through this whole process 24/7 . So first of all, what is Smosh? I could go on and on..."

"And on and on," I cut in from the background. "I'm not kidding."

Marcia laughed at my comment. "Isn't that how You started watching them?"

"You guys," whispered harshly Vanessa, her cheeks colouring to a deep crimson. She cleared her throat, "I was saying, Smosh is a very popular Youtube channel and it was created by two guys: Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox. These two friends have been making comical videos since 2005 and their popularity is increasing by the year."

When Vanessa finally paused to breathe, I asked, "So, Vanessa, what do you like from their videos?"

She didn't waste too much time contemplating. "I particularly love the way they can overact to the point that it's hilarious."

It was Marcia's turn to ask a question. "How do you feel knowing that you're a little older than the regular fan-girl?"

"I feel like I would have more of a chance of finding something in common with the guys than, say, a fifteen-year-old should they ever intend to come to Malta."

"Our final question for you," I said with a knowing smile, "is which guy would you go on a date with: Ian or Anthony?"

With absolute conviction, Vanessa replied, "Anthony."

As soon as I zoomed out the lens span, Marcia and I went back into the spotlight. "There you have it," I said. "The general opinion of every girl on this island who has ever heard of Smosh..."

Ian flipped through the selection of displayed videos as he crunched on a spoonful of cereal. Opposite him sat Anthony eating toast. They were both dazed from the sleepless night they'd had as they'd fought over countless futile ideas on how to relax from their stupid routine.

Ian suddenly yelled, "Anthony, look at this."

Anthony rushed over to Ian's side of the table and looked at what was displayed on his friend's laptop. "What is it?"

"These girls remind me of us," Ian said nostalgically. "Back in 2005. Only, they're girls."

"Wait," stopped Anthony, irritated. "You made me rush around the table for nothing?"

"Not for nothing," denied Ian. "I thought that you could do with some lightening up after last night."

"Well, you could have used a softer tone," replied Anthony stubbornly.

They didn't say anything for a while as they watched the video. When the girl with the grey-green eyes walked off the set, Anthony paused the video. Silence settled in the kitchen. Suddenly, he closed the laptop, took it in his arms and walked off with it. Ian, though confused, quickly got up and rushed after him.

"Anthony, wait up," Ian gasped, out of breath from the sudden sprint. Anthony kept taking quick strides to the front door as if he'd heard nothing. Ian tried again. "Anthony, where are you going?"

Anthony finally froze and glanced back at Ian before he made his way out the door. "I'm going over to Ryan's."

"But it's Sunday morning," replied Ian, still trying to figure out what Anthony wanted to tell Ryan. "Can't it wait?"

"Not unless you want to spend another week of insanity." Anthony reached his car and settled himself in the driver's seat.

"I thought we'd stayed up all night trying to come up with plans to do just that and we failed. Miserably. What changed?"

"This video," explained Anthony as he tapped the laptop gently, "just showed me that what we need is a vacation. And what better vacation could there be than on an island in Europe?"

"Woah!" exclaimed Ian in surprise. "A video told you all that? We must be dumber than I thought if a trio of teenage girls gave us the solution we needed without even knowing the question themselves."

"Dumb or not, we have the solution," replied Anthony. "So are you in?"

"When am I not?" grinned Ian as he got into the car.

As they pulled away from the curb, Ian looked down at himself and said, "Anthony, we're not dressed for a meeting."

Anthony laughed sincerely for the first time in weeks. "Are we ever?"


	4. Close Encounters

Ryan stared at the two guys in front of him as if they were crazy.

"So let me get this straight," he said slowly, trying to understand what Anthony and Ian were doing at his house on Sunday, their only day off. "You both want a break from the show so you can get a fresh start. Maybe even get up to number two on Youtube."

"Yeah," answered Anthony.

"And," Ryan continued, slightly massaging his temples, "you want to go to Melka?"

"Malta," corrected Ian.

"Whatever," Ryan rolled his eyeballs towards the ceiling, then to the spread of breakfast in front of him, and finally, they rested on the guys again. "But why do you want to go to an island you didn't know existed - heck, I didn't know it existed - on such short notice?"

Ian looked nervously at Anthony and the latter took the lead. "We just felt like the pressure on us has been a little too high, especially since 'Food Battle' was released. So why not go on a vacation? Not to mention, by doing this, we'll be going somewhere no one in the states has been."

"Yeah," agreed Ian. "It would surely be a great experience."

Ryan glanced warily, first at Anthony, then Ian, and back to Anthony. After ten seconds of silent torture, he said, "Alright, you can go."

The guys yelled in joy and were jumping around the room like two-year-olds when suddenly Ian stopped and looked at Ryan. "Wait a second, what's the catch?"

Ryan grinned. "Two conditions. The first condition is that you shoot daily vlogs."

Ian nodded wildly, his bowl-cut hair bouncing all over the place. Anthony, however, replied, "And what is your other condition?"

"You two are in charge of making all the arrangements. No help from your parents whatsoever. After all, you ARE adults."

"Deal," replied both guys simultaneously.

They said their farewells to Ryan and were just about to leave the room when he called out, "And, Ian, try not to land another camera into a pool or the sea."

"Ay ay, Captain," saluted Ian.

They rushed to Anthony's car and made their way back to Ian's house. They were silent for the better part of the ride, until Anthony asked Ian, "So what can we do about the arrangements for the trip?"

"This is just a wild guess," replied Ian sarcastically, "but why don't we ask the ones who posted that video for their help. They seem perfect since we already know that at least two of them are fans and they also happen to live on that island."

"Great idea," muttered back Anthony. "There's just one tiny little flaw in your plan. How are we supposed to contact them?"

"I don't know. Maybe there's such a thing called the Internet."

"Oh yeah? And what if they don't believe it's really us? What then?"

"We can just play it by the ear," replied Ian matter-of-factly. "It's what we usually do anyway."

Just then, Anthony pulled up by Ian's house.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the e-mail waiting to be read on my Gmail account. Yet there it was; a letter from Smosh themselves. I honestly thought that I'd fallen asleep and was dreaming and I hadn't noticed, but after pinching my arm, I knew with full certainty that Smosh, or someone joking around with their name, had contacted me.

I was afraid to open it as I thought that it might be them sueing me and my friends for creating a video about them without any copyright. I sighed in disbelief. When had I become such a paranoid fan-girl? So I clicked open the mail:

'Dear Live in Malta,

This is Ian Hecox from Smosh. Anthony and I have watched your segment on us and we honestly loved it. We liked it so much that we decided on viewing your other videos and found they were equally as great.

As you probably guessed, however, I'm not sending this e-mail simply to compliment your channel. Anthony and I have lately decided on going on a vacation and after seeing your videos, we have chosen to come to Malta. Now you may be asking yourself what we want from you. It's simple really. We need to know where we could stay and where to go in the three weeks we're planning to come.

We would really appreciate your help. Please reply soon.

Ian Hecox'

My first reaction was joy that they had decided not to sue us. Then came the surprise that such skilled Youtubers had enjoyed our videos. However, after that, I got suspicious about the authenticity of the e-mail's sender. Despite my inner voice's protests, I sent them back a reply.

Just as I hit send, I realised just how tired I felt and I fell asleep.

It had barely rung four o'clock in the afternoon when Ian found a reply to the e-mail he had sent just five minutes before.

"Hey, Anthony," he called, "they replied."

Anthony immediately raced from his guest room and made his way to the kitchen. He gruffly demanded, "What are you waiting for? Open the reply."

Ian obliged and read the e-mail aloud:

'Dear Ian,

I am glad that you have found our channel so amusing. However, I'm afraid that I cannot help you with the organisation of your trip. Don't get me wrong, I would love to help, but I'm sure that you can understand my situation: I am being sent a message from people I don't know and through no fault of yours or mine, I believe that there is no way I can verify your identity. I apologise but that's all I can say.

Yours,

Nathalie.'

They were silent. Anthony stood up from where he had been standing and glared at Ian. "I told you they won't believe it's us."

"Well I'm not ready to give up yet," said Ian obstinately. "What was her name...Nathalie. Hmm..."

Ian clicked his mouse a great number of times and typed a lot too, so Anthony couldn't help but sit down again and ask, "What are you doing?"

Without looking up from the screen, Ian replied, "I'm simply checking which girl this Nathalie is. Maybe we can find a way to convince her that we're really us. And...I got it." He turned his laptop to face Anthony and pointed at the curly haired short girl in the video who seemed no older than sixteen.

"That's weird," said Anthony in a very soft voice. "How come she has access to the channel's account and e-mail? The others are obviously older than her."

"One of two reasons, I guess," answered Ian whilst scratching the back of his head. "Either the other two are too stupid to handle responsibility or she is the editor and creator of the channel as well as the most cynical of the three."

"I'd place a bet on your second deduction based on what I've seen on some of their videos," agreed a grim-faced Anthony. "So now, all we have to do is try to prove our identities."

"You make that sound so easy," whined Ian, "but had that been the case, the e-mail would have been enough."

"But you see," slowly unravelled Anthony, a sly grin on his face, "the videos they posted show that she has only recently become a fan of ours, which means that whereas that e-mail would have worked on most fans, it had little chance of persuading her. So, using our heads, what's the one thing that can be shared by the internet and is certain to convince a cynical teenage girl?"

Just then, it was like a bulb had lit inside Ian's brain, "We post a video?"

"We post a video," confirmed Anthony.

Emails and Emergency Meetings

beep! Beep! BEEP!

My hand slammed down on my alarm clock. I wondered for the thousandth time why my mother insisted on me waking up at 7 o'clock each and every morning, even now that it's summer and after aceing my O levels. I groaned as I got out of bed thinking that someday, if I'm lucky enough, I'll manage to hit the alarm clock so hard that it shatters to pieces. A girl can dream...but some dreams can never come true.

Suddenly, my thoughts raced back to the previous night's mysterious e-mail from Smosh. I still couldn't decide if that had been a hoax or not; after all, my friends have been known to play practical jokes like that on me. This could have been another one of their ploys to make a fool of me. Anyway, after the e-mail I sent them back, I'm sure that had it been really Smosh, they wouldn't have dreamed of asking me a second time. I sighed. I guess I have a habit of pushing people away before I can even get the chance of knowing them properly, but there is nothing that can be done now.

A thought struck my brain at the speed of lightning and I was suddenly thrown back by the urge to check if the people who sent me the e-mail the previous night had sent me another one. So I grabbed my tablet and took it over to my desk and switched it on. Wonder of wonders, there was no e-mail waiting in my inbox. Feeling somehow disappointed, I logged into my Youtube account and saw that Smosh had posted their behind-the-scenes video of their latest 'If -blank- were real'. However, as soon as I clicked on the link, I did not find what I'd expected.

Upon starting, the video was very much the same as usual. As the traditional ending came, though, the video did not end but kept on rolling with an added segment. Intrigued, I saw that Ian and Anthony were at Ian's place and I was pretty much amazed at what they said.

"Hey guys," started Anthony. "This week we decided on adding a little extra footage to the usual behind-the-scenes video."

"Apart from you being a great audience, the real reason why we are shooting this is actually split into two," explained Ian. "First of all, we are planning on going on vacation in a week's time to the wonderful island of Malta. But don't worry about missing any of our videos because we'll be taking daily vlogs so we'll be able to show you how awesome a Mediterranean island can be."

"However," continued Anthony, "that brings us to the second reason for this video. To go on this holiday, we need some help from two Youtubers from Malta; one in particular."

At that point my jaw could have easily detached itself from my skull and I wouldn't have noticed in my amazement.

Ian continued, targeting his speech to me, "Yes, it was really me when I sent you the e-mail and if you could, both Anthony and I would very much like your help. Will you give it to us?"

At that point, both guys looked straight through the lens of the camera, as if looking straight at me, and they both directed their best cute puppy faces, the blue of Ian's eyes and the brown of Anthony's piercing through the screen...

I shut the tablet and dumped it on my bed. Quickly, I got dressed in a green t-shirt and a pair of shorts, I brushed my hair and grabbed my messenger bag which was full of notes for our channel, a small wad of cash and my mobile. My mum heard me packing but I had no time to explain. So I said I had to rush out as I was meeting Marcia and Vanessa and I left without another word.

Running to the bus stop up the street, I quickly dialled Marcia's number and she picked up with a groan just as I found a seat on the nearly empty bus which had stopped at the most appropriate time.

"Marcia," I said, ignoring her sleepiness, "I need to speak to you as soon as possible. Meet me in Valletta at our café in fifteen minutes. It's urgent."

As soon as I'd arrived at Valletta, I'd gone quietly over to my favourite café and I ordered some breakfast. Just I wolfed down the last bite from my ice cream pancakes, Marcia showed up in the seat in front of me.

"OK," she said without any greetings whatsoever, "what's up?"

I wasted no time in telling her all that had happened from the first e-mail to the video. Marcia listened to me rambling and going through all the details until I had finally stopped talking. She then asked, "So what's the big problem? Why don't you just help them out?"

I stared at her as if she just said the dumbest thing in the world. "Isn't it obvious?"

"No, actually," she replied calmly. "Explain to me what the big deal is."

I took a deep breath in to calm myself down, but somehow I couldn't quite manage it. "You want me to agree to help two guys I barely know and who are both at LEAST twelve years older than me so that they can come to Malta."

"I still don't see what the urgency is."

"What if they are molesters or something!" I exclaimed.

"Oh come on, what's the worst that can happen from a visit to Malta? They're just coming for a vacation here and need some help."

"But that's another thing," I protested, knowing I was losing the fight I hadn't realised I had started. "Why would they ask ME to help them rather than a tour guide, or even the internet?"

"Because," declared Marcia with a small smile, "even though you're not an adult yet, you have the maturity of one, and so you're up for responsibilities, but also, being a teen grants you the ability of showing them new places which interest the younger generation. Unlike when you're on one of those tours meant for old people or very dumb ones."

"You're right, I guess," I admitted, finally calm.

"Aren't I always?" She winked at me. "Now what do you say to spending a morning window-shopping now that we're here?"

"Yeah, sure," I replied. "Just give me a second, OK?"

She nodded and went to pay for my breakfast. I instantly drew out my mobile from my bag and sent a quick e-mail.

It was midnight, and Anthony and Ian were still awake, wondering if the video they'd posted was enough. Suddenly, there was a loud ping. Ian nearly jumped out of his skin, as he had nearly fallen asleep from exhaustion. Anthony pulled the laptop towards him and read the only e-mail in the inbox:

'Dear Smosh,

Alright, I'll help you. What do you need?

Yours,

Nathalie'

It was a very simple message but it was enough. They were one step closer to going on a vacation away from their stressful lives, and they could make a new friend while doing that; if she gave them the chance...


	5. Emails and Emergency Meetings

Hey there :) It's been a while now and I haven't yet introduced myself. However, I have a feeling that you're going to understand who I am just by reading this story, and any story I may write. So today, I want to give you all a special announcement.

As some of you may know, I have started a writing competition for all ages and origins. The title of said competition is: The Wisdom of Social Media. I will be one of the judges, joined by two other friends of mine from both Wattpad and . Now, here are the rules:

1) You can write whatever you want and however long you want it to be.

2) The entry must have at least one mention of social media. Youtube and youtubers count as well.

3) At least two characters must be included in the entry.

4) If you're planning on continuing the work later on, then the entry must have a promising premise.

Like every contest, this one has a deadline: 24th November 2015.

As regarding the prizes and prize winners, more details will be announced in the near future.

Should anyone have any inquiries, feel free to contact me via email at: .

Finally, you'd be doing me a big favour if you share this contest around, and the more entrants we have, the merrier. So I wish you all good luck!

P.s.

I forgot to mention that the entries will be put up on Wattpad as that site allows for voting on separate chapters. But, I highly encourage you to also type 'Vote' in the comments of the stories you like, apart from clicking on the Vote button. That's it from me. So enjoy the story.

beep! Beep! BEEP!

My hand slammed down on my alarm clock. I wondered for the thousandth time why my mother insisted on me waking up at 7 o'clock each and every morning, even now that it's summer and after aceing my O levels. I groaned as I got out of bed thinking that some day, if I'm lucky enough, I'll manage to hit the alarm clock so hard that it shatters to pieces. A girl can dream...but some dreams can never come true.

Suddenly, my thoughts raced back to the previous night's mysterious e-mail from Smosh. I still couldn't decide if that had been a hoax or not; after all, my friends have been known to play practical jokes like that on me. This could have been another one of their ploys to make a fool of me. Anyway, after the e-mail I sent them back, I'm sure that had it been really Smosh, they wouldn't have dreamed of asking me a second time. I sighed. I guess I have a habit of pushing people away before I can even get the chance of knowing them properly, but there is nothing that can be done now.

A thought struck my brain at the speed of lightning and I was suddenly thrown back by the urge to check if the people who sent me the e-mail the previous night had sent me another one. So I grabbed my tablet and took it over to my desk and switched it on. Wonder of wonders, there was no e-mail waiting in my inbox. Feeling somehow disappointed, I logged into my Youtube account and saw that Smosh had posted their behind-the-scenes video of their latest 'If -blank- were real'. However, as soon as I clicked on the link, I did not find what I'd expected.

Upon starting, the video was very much the same as usual. As the traditional ending came, though, the video did not end but kept on rolling with an added segment. Intrigued, I saw that Ian and Anthony were at Ian's place and I was pretty much amazed at what they said.

"Hey guys," started Anthony. "This week we decided on adding a little extra footage to the usual behind-the-scenes video."

"Apart from you being a great audience, the real reason why we are shooting this is actually split into two," explained Ian. "First of all, we are planning on going on vacation in a week's time to the wonderful island of Malta. But don't worry about missing any of our videos because we'll be taking daily vlogs so we'll be able to show you how awesome a Mediterranean island can be."

"However," continued Anthony, "that brings us to the second reason for this video. To go on this holiday, we need some help from two Youtubers from Malta; one in particular."

At that point my jaw could have easily detached itself from my skull and I wouldn't have noticed in my amazement.

Ian continued, targeting his speech to me, "Yes, it was really me when I sent you the e-mail and if you could, both Anthony and I would very much like your help. Will you give it to us?"

At that point, both guys looked straight through the lens of the camera, as if looking straight at me, and they both directed their best cute puppy faces, the blue of Ian's eyes and the brown of Anthony's piercing through the screen...

I shut the tablet and dumped it on my bed. Quickly, I got dressed in a green t-shirt and a pair of shorts, I brushed my hair and grabbed my messenger bag which was full of notes for our channel, a small wad of cash and my mobile. My mum heard me packing but I had no time to explain. So I said I had to rush out as I was meeting Marcia and Vanessa and I left without another word.

Running to the bus stop up the street, I quickly dialled Marcia's number and she picked up with a groan just as I found a seat on the nearly empty bus which had stopped at the most appropriate time.

"Marcia," I said, ignoring her sleepiness, "I need to speak to you as soon as possible. Meet me in Valletta at our café in fifteen minutes. It's urgent."

As soon as I'd arrived at Valletta, I'd gone quietly over to my favourite café and I ordered some breakfast. Just I wolfed down the last bite from my ice cream pancakes, Marcia showed up in the seat in front of me.

"OK," she said without any greetings whatsoever, "what's up?"

I wasted no time in telling her all that had happened from the first e-mail to the video. Marcia listened to me rambling and going through all the details until I had finally stopped talking. She then asked, "So what's the big problem? Why don't you just help them out?"

I stared at her as if she just said the dumbest thing in the world. "Isn't it obvious?"

"No, actually," she replied calmly. "Explain to me what the big deal is."

I took a deep breath in to calm myself down, but somehow I couldn't quite manage it. "You want me to agree to help two guys I barely know and who are both at LEAST twelve years older than me so that they can come to Malta."

"I still don't see what the urgency is."

"What if they are molesters or something!" I exclaimed.

"Oh come on, what's the worst that can happen from a visit to Malta? They're just coming for a vacation here and need some help."

"But that's another thing," I protested, knowing I was losing the fight I hadn't realised I had started. "Why would they ask ME to help them rather than a tour guide, or even the internet?"

"Because," declared Marcia with a small smile, "even though you're not an adult yet, you have the maturity of one, and so you're up for responsibilities, but also, being a teen grants you the ability of showing them new places which interest the younger generation. Unlike when you're on one of those tours meant for old people or very dumb ones."

"You're right, I guess," I admitted, finally calm.

"Aren't I always?" She winked at me. "Now what do you say to spending a morning window-shopping now that we're here?"

"Yeah, sure," I replied. "Just give me a second, OK?"

She nodded and went to pay for my breakfast. I instantly drew out my mobile from my bag and sent a quick e-mail.

It was midnight, and Anthony and Ian were still awake, wondering if the video they'd posted was enough. Suddenly, there was a loud ping. Ian nearly jumped out of his skin, as he had nearly fallen asleep from exhaustion. Anthony pulled the laptop towards him and read the only e-mail in the inbox:

'Dear Smosh,

Alright, I'll help you. What do you need?

Yours,

Nathalie'

It was a very simple message but it was enough. They were one step closer to going on a vacation away from their stressful lives, and they could make a new friend while doing that; if she gave them the chance...


End file.
